WASHINGTON — More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people.The report by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, being released today, also said abuse of prescription medicine may be easing a bit among young people in grades 9 through 12, but it still remains ...

"If we remove marijuana from the criminal market and have the market run by responsible business people that have an incentive to check IDs and not sell to minors, then we might see those rates drop again."

*Waits on the Amendment 64 folks to denounce this part as untrue in 3, 2, 1*

More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people.

What is truly amazing is that a Medical Marijuana Center in Colorado not only causes increased pot use in local high schools, but also causes increased use in schools more than 1,000 miles from the center. Clearly those 1,000 foot limits need to be changed.

The Partnership at drugfree.org has an agenda. It is to spin any study so that it shows an alarming increase in drug use so that it can sustain it's anti-drug campaign. A study showing a decrease in drug use among teens would negatively impact the organization's fundraising activities.

"If we remove marijuana from the criminal market and have the market run by responsible business people that have an incentive to check IDs and not sell to minors, then we might see those rates drop again."

*Waits on the Amendment 64 folks to denounce this part as untrue in 3, 2, 1*

More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people.

Stevie B.,

If you and the others are going to accept this article as the gospel truth, then you need to accept the WHOLE article, not just the points that support your highly immoral crusade against marijuana and medical marijuana.

Per the article, prescription drug use is DOWN.

Per the article, 'harder' drugs like cocaine and meth has finally stabilized.

BTW, when I was attending high school in the mid 90s, marijuana, cocaine and almost all other illegal drug use was UP.

So to blame the reported rise of marijuana use in teens on medical martijuana is not accurate.

People are actually arguing over this? Guess you didn't notice the people responsible for the surveys aren't independent, but are "anti-drug". Would anyone reading this give a hoot if a Democratic PAC ran a commercial saying they did a survey which found that Republicans are responsible for destroying the economy, or if a Republican PAC published that Democrats are responsible for the deficit? Too funny. Oh, that's right, it's on the internet so it must be true...

And before someone whines how one was the NIH, remember that every researcher, whether studying heart disease, cancer or diabetes, will tell you that the disease they study is under-recognized and a bigger problem than most people realize, and that consequently more government money should be spent on their particular research field.

Of course, rags like the DP that publish this stuff have more in common with the Enquirer than a real newspaper. Or do we not have a state legislature, government corruption, financial problems, or any other issues that might belong on the front page instead of two MMJ stories?

I love it. This is NATIONAL. They don't have Medical Marijuana centers in most states, but they do have increased Marijuana use in most states, i guess this has more to do with prohibition failing harder than last year than it does with weed stores in Colorado.

Do you know what Medical Marijuana states do have? Less traffic fatalities. Turns out when 20 somethings are at home smoking medical marijuana they are not out drinking and driving. http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/w ... ic-deaths/Medical Marijuana States are also enjoying a chunk of the black market they chose to regulate and control. Colorado for example is enjoying millions in Fees and millions more in Taxes. On top of the 700+ full retail spaces, and 700+ growing spaces and all the paychecks keeping those places running provide. Medical Marijuana has been a huge boon for Colorado. I find it very funny that people pretend any of these places cause any problem at all!

Free weed for everyone could not make Marijuana more available to teens than it is now. Prohibition costs billions and keeps Marijuana out of nobody's hands. If prohibition were working we would be able to see some positive effect by now.

We have gotten teen tobacco use to the lowest numbers in history with simple education and regulation of the market place. The same would work for Marijuana.

I don't see how making it legal will cut kids using it. If it's legal their parents are a lot more likely to leave it laying around where the kids can get to it. You will also have people reselling just like the MMJ card holders are doing now.

You just need to come up with a good punishment for kids who get caught doing drugs or drinking. I'd say a month of weekends on bed pan duty at a hospital or rest home would be a good start.

As we inch closer and closer to the November, expect the "reefer madness" machine to get up and going full speed. Example (A) this article and the subsequent commenters, commenting based on emotion, and not facts.

My niece says at her school the dealers are the older kids who have MMJ cards and resell what they get from the clinics.

The kids hear it is legal and will start earlier and the clinics make sure there is a never ending supply.

Your Niece is being lied to. The Dealers at her school are the same dealers in Schools all across the USA. Only now they say "medical" a whole lot.

The State Registry keeps very good data. From their webpage. "The average age of all patients is 42. Currently forty-three patients are minors (under the age of 18)." Your telling us those 42 kids are dealing all the pot in Colorado schools? http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medical ... stics.html

The black market has always supplied Colorado schools. We have still yet to have a case of Marijuana from a Center being sold to anyone without a Card, or any of the "under 18's" with cards arrested for selling their medication.

I can't see how Checking ID would make Marijuana any more available to Colorado school children than it has always been.

My niece says at her school the dealers are the older kids who have MMJ cards and resell what they get from the clinics.

The kids hear it is legal and will start earlier and the clinics make sure there is a never ending supply.

Your Niece is being lied to. The Dealers at her school are the same dealers in Schools all across the USA. Only now they say "medical" a whole lot.

The State Registry keeps very good data. From their webpage. "The average age of all patients is 42. Currently forty-three patients are minors (under the age of 18)." Your telling us those 42 kids are dealing all the pot in Colorado schools? http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medical ... stics.html

The black market has always supplied Colorado schools. We have still yet to have a case of Marijuana from a Center being sold to anyone without a Card, or any of the "under 18's" with cards arrested for selling their medication.

I can't see how Checking ID would make Marijuana any more available to Colorado school children than it has always been.

Both the report and commentary are from very biased sources. Also If you are an adult,especially a parent or an older relative and you hear of an older child providing marijuana to your youngster isn't it your responsibility to find out who it is and inform their parents or the authorities.That would be a far more effective response than writing a letter to the editor defaming an industry whose members are trying as hard as humanly possible to provide effective medication for relief of painful chronic medical conditions to sick people.And while we're on the subject of responsible parenting I think a far bigger harm is done to our young people by parents who shamelessly stand in front of them, floridly obese packing masses of fattening food into their faces, grocery carts and worse the children themselves. This is giving children the impression that it's really okay to be that fat thereby setting those children up for a lifetime of obesity themselves which will end prematurely with adult onset diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, blindness and the loss of limbs and kidneys.I think that we need to be more worried about a fat, cigarette smoking parent within 1000 feet of schools than a medical marijuana dispensary.

redman71 wrote:As we inch closer and closer to the November, expect the "reefer madness" machine to get up and going full speed. Example (A) this article and the subsequent commenters, commenting based on emotion, and not facts.

Leave it to the Denver Post to carry on the tradition of demonizing the evil weed.

Yes people, the devil weed is ruining our children's lives!!!

Next thing you know, they will stop joining the military to go forth and kill to protect our freedoms. Their poisoned minds will not be tempted by boozy times with social fighting considered as a "good time". Demented teens minds will open, and expand beyond the carefully narrowed and dumbed down versions the schools attempt to produce.

The only victims of stony teens are trays of brownies, and cheeze fries. Prohibition advances the police state, where we submit to the officer, and obey their orders.

The others who benefit are the cartels, kingpins who run vast smuggling and racketeering operations who would all cease to exist if cannabis were legalized, and the dispensary template is used to distribute a legal product to legal buyers.

But that would hobble our nascent police state mindset, and put organized crime into a tailspin. Big Pharm would take a hit, and petrochemical firms would need to convert to sustainable hemp chemistry for consumer goods, the oil companies cannot have that. Drill baby drill would become grow baby grow, that just sounds too, too Kommie hippie.

Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

My niece says at her school the dealers are the older kids who have MMJ cards and resell what they get from the clinics.

The kids hear it is legal and will start earlier and the clinics make sure there is a never ending supply.

Your Niece is being lied to. The Dealers at her school are the same dealers in Schools all across the USA. Only now they say "medical" a whole lot.

The State Registry keeps very good data. From their webpage. "The average age of all patients is 42. Currently forty-three patients are minors (under the age of 18)." Your telling us those 42 kids are dealing all the pot in Colorado schools? http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medical ... stics.html

The black market has always supplied Colorado schools. We have still yet to have a case of Marijuana from a Center being sold to anyone without a Card, or any of the "under 18's" with cards arrested for selling their medication.

I can't see how Checking ID would make Marijuana any more available to Colorado school children than it has always been.

Thank you for providing actual facts Mike N.

I try my very best. When it comes to marijuana most people don't have a clue what they are talking about.